Returning to Cuba after a year and facing the question of how to navigate the island can become a maze of costs, fuel shortages, and mechanical setbacks. This is exactly what a woman from Cienfuegos experienced when she documented her experience on TikTok under the username @yuyudecuba, revealing the numerous obstacles involved in renting a car on the island today.
The first obstacle was the cost of private transportation. Hiring a vehicle to pick her up at Havana airport and take her to Cienfuegos —245 kilometers away— would have cost her 450 dollars for just one day. "A car for a day to pick us up at the airport cost us 450 dollars, including the price of gas," she explained in the video.
Given that figure, he chose to rent a car through the Rentacar platform for three days for a total of 320 dollars. "It was more convenient to rent the car for three days than for just one," he summarized. Many followers questioned the decision without understanding the economic logic behind it.
The payment process generated another common confusion among travelers: Visa and Mastercard ceased to function in Cuba on June 6, 2026, when Fincimex suspended operations with those networks as a result of the expanded sanctions imposed by the Trump administration. Nevertheless, Rentacar processes its payments from Europe in euros, which allows those with European cards to reserve and pay from abroad before arriving on the island.
The cars were delivered at 7:30 in the evening, but with an unpleasant surprise: "The car was supposed to come with 35 liters of gasoline and it only came with 18," the user reported. That wasn't the only issue. The next day, the vehicle had technical problems and had to be exchanged. "On the second day, the first car had some technical issues, and we went to Rentacar and changed it without any problem," she recounted.
Regarding fuel, the situation in Cienfuegos was more manageable than in other parts of the country. Tourist cars have a specific gas station assigned where they can purchase up to 10 liters daily at nearly two dollars per liter. For longer journeys, the agency itself issues additional tickets that allow for the purchase of between 20 and 30 extra liters.
That controlled scheme contrasts with the widespread chaos of fuel in Cuba. The gasoline shortage has driven prices up to extreme levels: the official price of special B100 gasoline was set at $2.60 per liter since May 15, 2026, while in the informal market it reached costs of between six and eight dollars per liter in June. Venezuela suspended its oil shipments to Cuba since December 2025, and Mexico did the same in January 2026, leaving the country practically without supplies. Díaz-Canel himself acknowledged in April 2026 that Cuba “absolutely lacks fuel for almost everything.”
Tourists and Cubans from the diaspora visiting provinces far from the capital frequently face non-compliance from agencies: waits of up to 12 hours to receive the reserved vehicle, cars delivered in poor condition, and nearly empty fuel tanks are common complaints.
The testimony of @yuyudecuba illustrates that, despite the obstacles, navigating the system is possible with information and prior planning—although the experience is far from what any traveler would expect under normal conditions.
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